Redding Confronts a Deadly Pattern: A History of Wildfires and Development in High-Fire-Risk Areas

Wildfires are once again claiming homes and lives in a Northern California city that has pushed into wildfire-prone areas.

The Carr fire near Redding fits a deadly pattern, sharing traits of the firestorm that destroyed thousands of homes and killed dozens last year in Sonoma and Napa counties.

Since 1947, more than two dozen fires have burned in the same area as the Carr fire. Most of the area surrounding Redding has been rated as a very high fire hazard, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Redding, like the Santa Rosa area, has also grown over the past few decades. The city has pushed into the Northern California wilderness, placing homes among oak trees and flammable chaparral outside of town. Many of those homes now wait in the fire’s path.

Already, dozens of buildings have been destroyed in the fire, which started on July 23 near Whiskeytown Lake, northwest of Redding. On Thursday night and Friday morning, the fire pushed into the city of Redding, which has a population of nearly 92,000.